Hello all! Nice to find a forum like this. I have a few mechanical boards I have dedicated to machines they came with, but have been consigned to a notebook for several years. Recently, I built a desktop and decided to dig and find a decent mechanical to go with my new found desk space.
In my pile, I came across a board that strangely looked familure; An Acer KB-101a! Score! Then I noticed it was branded Multitech, both on the sticker where Acer should be, and the bottom sticker. Another variation is this board uses a three position slide switch for AT/XT modes, instead of dip switches. Other than that, the outer molds, PCB, blue Alps, all identical to an Acer KB-101a.
A few hours of cleaning and the board comes out pretty decent. Caps are not worn at all, but yellowed horribly, along with the top plate. All switches seem fine. I hook it to a Pentium 100 based AT computer I have setup, no problems. Every key works like a charm, responsive, everything I want in a board.
Now the fun... I find one of 15 AT to PS/2 adapters and plug it into my "new" desktop. Its just a humble H55 chipset with a 3GHz i3 (Intel DH55TC). Fortunately, it has a PS/2 port! So I shut down the computer, check BIOS to make sure the PS/2 port is on (only option regarding said port), save and reboot. Shutdown again, removed USB keyboard, plug in the KB101 and turn the machine on.
Power light comes on the board and I get into BIOS, no problem. Keyboard seems to function, but I get no cap or num lock LED. Just the power LED. I exit BIOS, it takes a bit longer than normal to POST, then boots to Windows 10. No keyboard. No a single key works, but the power LED stays lit. I mess around a bit more to no avail.
PS/2 adapter? Tired 5 and consigned that wasn't an issue. Hooked the board up to an older board with dedicated PS/2, works like a charm.... My son has an H55 based motherbaord with a dedicated PS/2 port, keyboard works perfectly on his machine....
So, I decide to try an cheapo active PS/2 to USB adapter. I ordered a cheap "y" adapter that had really good reviews. M boards worked fine on it, so why shouldn't mine? No dice. Any other PS/2 or AT board works with the USB adapter except the KB101..
What am I missing? Works fine when its a native PS/2 board or AT. The USB adapter I bought works with other boards, no problem. As far as my motherboard, its actually a "split" PS/2 port. It will work with mice or keyboards. I saw no options to keep it in keyboard or mouse mode, but I could have missed something.
I've only spent $6, and I'm willing to build/buy a Teensy controller, but I'm just not quite convinced I have not missed something terribly obvious.
Thanks ahead of time for any ideas. I would really like to use this board. Those blues really do live up to their reputation, and this keyboard is really in good shape. Just needs a good paint job.